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<p>By Alexander Burns (@aburnspolitico, <a href="mailto:aburns@politico.com">aburns@politico.com</a>) <br />
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<strong>FIRST IN SCORE - OVIDE MAKES HIS MOVE</strong>: New Hampshire Senate candidate Ovide Lamontagne goes up today with his first commercial of the Republican primary campaign - a lively, positive spot that sets Lamontagne apart from his bitterly feuding rivals, former state Attorney General Kelly Ayotte and self-funder Bill Binnie. The commercial opens with a shot of Lamontagne standing in a field, clad in a short-sleeved, collared shirt and jeans, and smiling as he introduces himself: “I'm not the establishment candidate, nor a new conservative trying to buy your vote.” A banner appears on the screen, reading “Endorsed by the Union Leader,” as Lamontagne continues: “I am the only candidate with a 15-point pledge, Ovide's Oath, and it's my bond. I'll work to cut spending, lower taxes, repeal Obamacare and defend the right of states to protect their citizens.” <br />
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The commercial, which is airing statewide, comes less than two weeks before New Hampshire's Sept. 14 primary. At the same time that Lamontagne pitches himself as an upbeat alternative to Ayotte and Binnie, he also emphasizes his sterling ideological credentials. “I'll commute to Washington and I'll only serve you,” Lamontagne pledges, and a narrator signs off: “The only true conservative for the U.S. Senate: Ovide Lamontagne.” The commercial was produced by Jim Innocenzi, whose team also helped Lamontagne score an upset win in New Hampshire's 1996 gubernatorial primary. Watch the ad here. <a href="http://politi.co/9lCHxB">http://politi.co/9lCHxB</a> <br />
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As the general begins in Alaska, President Obama heads back to New York and Steve Schale plays the reaper for Charlie Crist, here's POLITICO's Morning Score: your daily cheat sheet for the 2010 midterm elections. <br />
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<strong>WELCOME TO SEPTEMBER - FIVE QUESTIONS</strong>: The summer is all but officially over and the final sprint to Election Day is about to begin. With the campaign heading into its last two months, here are the five most important questions we expect to answer by the end of this one: <br />
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(1) Who gets thrown to the wolves first? Democratic campaign committees have plenty of cash, but not nearly enough to go around. Some incumbents are going to be left for dead sooner rather than later, if the pressure on Democrats keeps mounting; (2) Does a rising tide of GOP cash lift all boats? With the House unquestionably in play, it should get easier for Republican challengers to raise money. Pre-primary reports filed over the summer showed many of them are still at a daunting disadvantage; (3) Where do Democrats play offense? On every level - in House, Senate and governor's races - Democrats have the chance to hold down their net losses by going on the attack. By the end of the month, we should largely know which declared targets are real and which have slipped away; (4) Are there any more Republican primary surprises? There are just a few primaries left on the calendar, but in a few of them - in Delaware, New Hampshire and elsewhere - the GOP could make Democratic lives easier if they choose more flawed nominees; (5) Does the Democratic base engage? This could be the decisive question of the cycle. It's no surprise that the out party's supporters have been more fired up so far. But if Democrats can't narrow the enthusiasm gap this close to November, it's fair to wonder if they ever will. <br />
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<strong>IT'S OVER IN ALASKA - MURKOWSKI CONCEDES</strong> - The Anchorage Daily News: “Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski on Tuesday night conceded the Republican primary election to Joe Miller, the tea party backed challenger who maintained his Election Day lead after thousands of additional absentee and other ballots were counted through the day. "We know that we have outstanding votes to count in the primary but based on where we are right now I don't see a scenario where the primary will turn out in my favor. And that is a reality that is before me at this time," Murkowski said … Murkowski did not endorse Miller in her concession speech. She took no questions.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/d7CitK">http://bit.ly/d7CitK</a> <br />
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<strong>HOUSE RACE EXCLUSIVE - TACKLING RUNYAN</strong>: New Jersey Rep. John Adler goes negative today against Republican challenger Jon Runyan, airing an ad that calls Runyan a tax cheat and attempts to use the former NFL player's wealth against him. “This is congressional candidate Jon Runyan's house,” the narrator begins, over shots of an impressive mansion. “Nice, isn't it? Costs millions. Except Runyan doesn't call it a house. He tried to call it a farm.” A lavish living room photo appears on the screen, and an image of a donkey suddenly pops up in the middle of it as the narrator explains: “Runyan bought one donkey to get a $20,000 tax break by saying he lives on a farm. Luckily, he was caught. When New Jersey families are fighting to make ends meet, Jon Runyan is trying to rip the system off.” The Campaign Group's Neil Oxman produced the ad for Adler, who has consistently distinguished himself as one of the most aggressive Democratic freshmen. Watch it here. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/c9ItBS">http://bit.ly/c9ItBS</a> <br />
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<strong>2012 TALKER - PAWLENTY ESCALATES</strong>: Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty is making his state a new front in the conservative fight against the national health care law, moving to block agencies from applying for funds offered through federal reform-linked programs. The Star-Tribune reports: “Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday ordered all state agencies to not to submit applications to any health care funding from the federal government related to the health care overhaul. … Pawlenty, who appears to be gearing up for a run for president in 2012, has long decried the health care overhaul, which opponents call Obamacare, and has pledged to join a lawsuit to undo it. 'Obamacare is an intrusion by the federal government into personal health care matters and it's an explosion of federal spending that does nothing to make health care more affordable,' Pawlenty said.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bbesYY">http://bit.ly/bbesYY</a> </p><p><strong>SAVE THE DATE - ROMNEY TO N.H</strong>.: The former Massachusetts governor will keynote the New Hampshire Republican Party's convention on Sept. 25 in Concord. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/dai09e">http://bit.ly/dai09e</a> <br />
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<strong>BACK TO THE WELL</strong>: President Obama will address a fundraiser for the DCCC and DSCC at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York this month, POLITICO's John Bresnahan reports. The price of admission is $15,200, and “insiders declined to say how much the two party committees hoped to raise at the event, but the White House does not allow registered lobbyists to attend events with Obama or Vice President Joe Biden. Obama attended a DCCC fundraiser two weeks ago in Los Angeles that raised more than $1 million for the committee, and recently did an e-mail fundraising appeal for House Democrats.” <br />
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<strong>MORE - BIDEN FOR SANCHEZ</strong>: “Biden, in particular, has done dozens of fundraising events on behalf of House Democrats. The vice president will headline a Sept. 15 event at the Mayflower Hotel in Washington for Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-Calif.).” <a href="http://politi.co/dpImt5">http://politi.co/dpImt5</a> <br />
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<strong>POLL OF THE DAY</strong>: Former GOP Rep. Pat Toomey continues to defy gravity in Democratic-leaning Pennsylvania, opening up a 10-point lead over Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak in a new Ipsos poll. He's ahead, 47 percent to 37 percent, with likely voters and leads by a narrower gap - 40 percent to 37 percent - among registered voters. Republican Tom Corbett is also 15 points ahead in the race for governor, and Ipsos pollster Julia Clark explained: “This is a state that is not thrilled with the way Democrats have been performing.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cZTIv7">http://bit.ly/cZTIv7</a> <br />
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<strong>SON OF LAWTON STOPS WALKIN'</strong>: Bud Chiles, the gubernatorial scion running for Florida's highest office as an independent, reportedly plans to end his bid in a potential boon to Democratic nominee Alex Sink. From the St. Petersburg Times: “Sink had lunch with Chiles on Tuesday in Miami but declined to discuss the conversation. The timing of his expected announcement is not coincidental -- Thursday is the last day before overseas ballots begin printing. Chiles name -- the same as popular former Democratic Gov. Lawton Chiles -- was expected to pull votes from Sink in her battle against Republican Rick Scott.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/byvHKt">http://bit.ly/byvHKt</a> <br />
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<strong>TWO TAKES</strong> - (1) PPP's Tom Jensen: “Chiles voters were Republican and conservative leaning folks quite unhappy with the Democrats. … The only problem with that- 60% of them have an unfavorable opinion of [Rick] Scott while only 15% see him favorably. … My guess is it ends up being a wash and having no real effect on the race.”; (2) The Crowley Political Report: “[G]ood news for Democrat Alex Sink. Some Republicans were hatching the idea of creating one of those phony 'Ain't Florida Swell' organizations that allow insiders to spend millions on television ads while leaving few fingerprints. The whole idea was that they could drive votes to Chiles that otherwise would go to Sink.” http://bit.ly/bKCONE and <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/9QjBSJ">http://bit.ly/9QjBSJ</a> <br />
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<strong>FLORIDA CAMPAIGN CLICK</strong>: The NRSC is up with a new website today, titled “Get Your Crist Refund,” that allows users to sign onto executive director Rob Jesmer's letter to the Florida governor asking that he return Republicans' campaign donations. “Charlie Crist has promised to refund any donations to people who ask for them,” the site reads. “If you gave him money make the request now before he changes his mind again!” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bOezJ8">http://bit.ly/bOezJ8</a> <br />
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<strong>AND - SCHALE CALLS IT</strong>: Steve Schale, the former Florida maestro for President Obama's 2008 campaign, says Crist just can't win the Senate race as an independent, reasoning: “Rubio is limiting him to 20% of the Republican vote. If Rubio keeps him at 20% of the GOP vote, Crist needs to get 45% of the Democratic vote in order to win, and according to the latest PPP poll, Crist is only at 38% today with Democrats. But the bigger problem is he is falling into the same place as many other long time office holders: his personal approval numbers are plummeting.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/bUooAa">http://bit.ly/bUooAa</a> <br />
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<strong>NOT CLEAN ENOUGH FOR GENE</strong>: The League of Conservation Voters has announced its state-level targets for 2010, naming a dozen politicians that the environmental group, its partners and state affiliates will work to defeat. Several big-name Republicans are on the hit list, including Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Minnesota gubernatorial candidate Tom Emmer, as well as Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill, the former Democrat running for governor as an independent. LCV President Gene Karpinski described the planned offensive as a reaction to federal inaction on climate and the environment: “With the U.S. Senate's recent failure to act on comprehensive energy and climate legislation, we need strong environmental leaders at the state level to move the ball forward on new energy policies that will put America on the path to a clean energy future.” <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cWZ6gk">http://bit.ly/cWZ6gk</a> <br />
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<strong>ALSO IN GREEN CAMPAIGNS</strong>: The Sierra Club announced its latest endorsement of the cycle, backing Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal's campaign for Senate. Connecticut Chapter Chairman John Blake praised the Democrat's “unfailing determination to protect the environmental quality of Connecticut.” <br />
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<strong>HERE COMES THE JUDGE</strong>: A Texas judge ordered the RGA to hand over $2 million to former Rep. Chris Bell, the Democratic Party's 2006 nominee for governor, to compensate for $1 million in undisclosed donations to Texans for Rick Perry the last time the governor was up for reelection. AP: “That included a $500,000 check from Houston builder Bob Perry, the nation's largest individual donor during the 2006 election cycle. The governor, who isn't related to the Houston builder, settled with Bell for $426,000 last year.” The RGA plans to appeal. <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/aUl6A0">http://bit.ly/aUl6A0</a> and <a target="_blank" href="http://bit.ly/cT5xK2">http://bit.ly/cT5xK2</a> <br />
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<strong>CODA - GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN</strong>: Failed Florida Senate candidate Jeff Greene is moving ahead with a threatened libel suit against the St. Petersburg Times and the Miami Herald, the New York Times says. “Dogged by rumors about wild parties aboard his 145-foot yacht and about fraudulent real estate deals, Mr. Greene will seek at least $500 million in damages in part, he said, to teach the news media a lesson. 'I want to send a message to every newspaper in the country: Do your homework,' he said Tuesday in a telephone interview. 'I deserve to have the record corrected, and they deserve to be punished.'” <a target="_blank" href="http://nyti.ms/aZNypW">http://nyti.ms/aZNypW</a> </p><br>
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